Historic Aircraft

The Flying SLUF

The Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II was an excellent carrier-based, light attack aircraft. But its career was overshadowed by its predecessor—the remarkable Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. The A-7 served in the U.S. fleet for 25 years, being retired in 1991 following action in the Gulf War. Skyhawk variants served in the Navy a dozen years beyond, until 2003!

This content is only accessible by current subscribers. Please
subscribe to view the full content.

Not a Subscriber yet? Learn more
about the exclusive benefits you'll receive!

Norman Polmar is an analyst, author, and consultant, specializing in naval, aviation, and technology subjects. He has directed studies related to the Soviet/Russian navies for various government organizations, and has been a consultant or advisor on related issues to three U.S. Senators, the Speaker of the House, the Deputy Counselor to the President, and three Secretaries of the Navy. He has visited the Soviet Union/Russia several times as a guest of the Navy commander-in-chief, the submarine design bureaus, and the Institute of U.S. Studies.

More by this Author

Submarines of the Russian and Soviet Navies, 1718-1990

The first book to comprehensively describe Russian and Soviet submarine development and operations... Read More[5]

Chronology of the Cold War at Sea, 1945-1991

From the very beginning the U.S. Navy played a central role in what turned out to be a forty-five-... Read More[6]

The Naval Institute Guide to Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, 18th Edition